1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is in the field of apparatus for sterilizing fields and more specifically sports fields.
2. Description of the Prior Art
High-performance, artificial athletic fields are increasingly being installed and used in communities. Many of these fields are “infill turf systems” in which blades of synthetic grass are tucked into a backing system that is covered with a deep layer of sand and/or synthetic particles (the infill material). The infill materials are often made of small particles of rubber or plastic, which fills the spaces between the fibers (blades of “grass”) to hold the fibers up and to provide a cushion surface.
The infill material and synthetic fibers can provide a host for a variety of substances including mold, bacteria and a variety of germicidal agents. The current procedure is to spray various chemicals on the field to thereby sterilize the field and provide a safe environment. Spraying of chemicals onto artificial fields is quite expensive due not only to the labor involved but also the cost of raw materials.
An alternate approach in decontaminating surfaces is through the use of ultraviolet light. For example, In U.S. Pat. No. 7,459,694, there is disclosed a mobile germicidal system for decontaminating walls and a ceiling of a room. Germicidal lamps are positioned adjacent the wall and/or ceiling to thereby sterilize the surface. U.S. Pat. No. 5,902,552 discloses an ultraviolet air sterilization device for connection to an air handling duct for the purpose of sterilizing the air as it flows through the duct. U.S. Pat. No. 5,968,455 discloses a mobile unit incorporating many of the features of U.S. Pat. No. 5,902,552 and includes a wheeled carriage with a handle to allow the operator to traverse the sterilization device over a floor covering.
Despite the prior devices and the availability of germicidal lamps and associated fixtures, there is still a need for a mobile device that is easily movable across a field such as a synthetic soccer or football field for quickly destroying undesirable agents existing on the synthetic field. Further, since the synthetic fibers have embedded therebetween loose infield material, simply passing a UV light over the field may not maximize the sterilization. Thus, there is a further need to have on the vehicle infill material devices for moving and turning over the infill material thereby exposing the infill material to the sterilization lamps.
The so called “green effect” is the characteristic of a machine, method, etc. to achieve a desired result with the least impact on the environment. There is a need to have an aforementioned mobile UV sterilization apparatus that is battery powered that is rechargeable once the energy is depleted. Disclosed herein is an apparatus and method which fulfills all of the aforementioned needs.